The Cleveland Browns made a predictable decision on Monday by naming Deshaun Watson their starting quarterback for the regular season. Watson competed with second-year player Shedeur Sanders, and all indications throughout training camp pointed toward Watson being the starter.
Watson hasn’t played well since he was a member of the Houston Texans in 2020, and former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made his feelings clear on Watson starting in Cleveland.
“Just like their playoff hopes. It’s ended early before it even started,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on “FOOTBAHLIN With Ben Roethlisberger”.
Roethlisberger knows all about bad quarterback play from the Browns. He spent 18 years with the Steelers and finished with a 26-2-1 regular-season record vs. Cleveland. But Watson might be the worst quarterback the Browns have had since Roethlisberger entered the NFL in 2004.
Even though Watson was the leader in the clubhouse all offseason, many people thought that was over after what he said about Cleveland fans.
Watson Went After Browns Fans After Losing to the Bills
The Browns fell to the Buffalo Bills in their second preseason game 31-7 on Saturday at Huntington Bank Field. But the biggest story of the game was the back-and-forth between the fans and Watson.
Watson entered the game in the third quarter, and Browns fans started to immediately boo. It also didn’t help that Watson didn’t play well, going 5 for 12, throwing for 36 yards and an interception.
The 30-year-old quarterback went to the podium after the game and criticized Browns fans for booing him.
“I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson said, via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. “It’s a little bit [more] personal than that. So I think it’s a disrespectful thing. So yeah, I mean, I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. And yeah, just move on.”
Watson Took Back His Comments About Cleveland Fans
Watson did come out on Monday after the Browns named him the starter and apologized to the fans.
“I thought I was going to get a little different response,” Watson added, “but I think my emotions got the best of me. My comments wasn’t intending to go at any of the fans around in the city, because there’s been a lot of great fans that have been supporting me. And I know the frustration. This organization has put a lot of investment in coming to get me back in ’22, and things haven’t been going the right direction that we thought it was. A lot of injuries, a lot of time off, and not putting the best football and my foot forward.
“I understand the frustration. I understand everything that kind of goes into that. And moving forward, I just want to focus on football, making sure that I’m putting the best product out there, having the best ability, because I thrive off the energy. I thrive off the energy of the fans. I thrive off the energy of the community. I thrive off all that stuff.”
Many Browns fans don’t seem willing to accept Watson as the starter, and it will be interesting to see how long he stays in that role. There is a good chance his last game as Cleveland’s starter could be against the Steelers on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 4.
Steelers Legend Ben Roethlisberger Breaks Silence on Browns Naming Deshaun Watson QB1